A Gentle Touch
by Geeky Craze
Summary: Luca x Human!OC (Violence and mildly dark themes!) Like so many others, this curious cat fell for a king, and yes, she even came to love his second, but what happens if Haley realizes she needs a protector, not a leader or dictator. (This is an alternate-timeline story to War Technicalities, taking place after the events of Chapter 32, so read that first!)
1. Introduction

_Eight years_ – it's been nearly a decade since the battle on the Golden Gate Bridge and nearly a year since the fiasco with the apes, and after years of Chicago crumbling under the yellow and red glow of war, the battle was turned nearly nonexistent, leaving the apes to wonder if the humans had all died out, especially after the virus begun to pick those final few as its victims. Settled at the top of a tall waterfall in Muir Woods, the colony continued their lives in peace, getting comfortable in the afterglow of freedom, _but is it ever so simple_? Led by Caesar, they've all become accustomed to their new lives, only a few older apes on the ape council to help him lead their people to a better future – Maurice, Rocket, Koba, and Luca, the leader of the Gorilla Guard.

The Gorilla Guard, the wall of the village: the name, on its own, described the purpose of the group and the members in it perfectly. The Guard was meant to stand strong, never waver, and to protect the village with their lives if necessary. They were there to be huddled behind whenever danger lurked close by. None of them had weakness and none of them ever stepped out of line, no matter how blurred the line was, but all of this only made it so much more strange who they chose as their head – Luca. Raised in captivity, left to be nothing but a spectacle in a zoo, no one had expected the gorilla to become as powerful as he did, but still his strength rivaled any others and landed him the position as protector. Yet, it wasn't that which made him such an unconventional candidate– it was the fact that he was anything but rigid and unfeeling. Luca was kind, gentle, and caring, something easily seen once you get to know him, and even though he had an overwhelming sense of duty, he always remained considerate and open minded. It was because of this that his small eyes studied the village intruder with a strange uncertainty, an inkling of no threat bubbling up his large chest.

Following in the footsteps of the Guard's example, Buck, the very first gorilla Caesar had trusted and a gorilla who had unfortunately lost his life on the bridge, Luca knew it was his position in the troop to protect everyone, but as his green orbs flickered over the young human girl, he felt the need to protect tugging at his heart – the need to protect her, not the apes.

An hour had passed since the hunting party returned and broke the apes' illusion of isolation from humanity, Rocket carrying one of the bare-skinned creatures under his arms like the day's game. Despite the young woman thrashing and writhing under the chimp's hold for release, the young apes stared at her in awe, never having seen a human up close – or from a distance, really. Still, they all stood a safe distance away, fear churning their stomachs when they recalled all the tales Maurice told in class about zookeepers and the scientists at Gen-Sys. Luca did watch motionlessly from atop the watchtower as the human female screamed to be let go and got dragged through the mud to be tied to a wooden pole, a small whimper escaping her when ropes pinched at the delicate skin of her wrists, but now, as he studied her tied, dishevel, and tired figure, he shuffled uncomfortably on his knuckles and feet. He didn't know why, but he couldn't stand the sight. From the nasty discoloration of her hair to the filth spread across her skin and the unfitting clothing dangling from her slim frame, he couldn't seem to associate her with the flat-faced and clean humans who always watched him in the zoo and who destroyed their own world – though, before the awakening, he didn't think much of them, so maybe he just didn't pay enough attention. Nevertheless, before he had a chance to think much of it, Luca found himself swinging down from atop the watchtower and crashed onto the ground by the woman's feet.

His retracted nostrils flared with an offended huff when he saw her stiffen in fear, but then, only a second later, his tense muscles slacked, a pair of earth-colored orbs peering up at him and boring into his eyes shakily. They seemed dull and dark, no doubt having lost their fire in the presence of so much unwanted war and death, and they were glossed in terror at the sight of him, but strangely enough, he found himself lost in their depths, a foreign and strange warmth hollowing out his heart and clasping around his stomach – it felt as if the forest grew under her gaze, their color so close to the soil on which the apes live. A gentle depth could be seen behind the fear she watched him with, and somehow, it only confirmed the suspicion he felt about her meaning no harm. _Had he eaten something bad_ , he still wondered, however, when his stomach lurched nervously again.

It must have been a year – or maybe just a few seconds – before Luca finally furrowing his brows with deep intent and stepped closer. He ignored the fact that she ducked away from him and hide her in some confusing attempt to protect herself, and simply raised his long, thick, and powerful arms above his head. As he hammered the pole deep into the ground so she could slip the ropes over the top, he never would have imagined that he and the human, Haley, who turned out to be an old friend of his king, would become friends, nor that he would grow to enjoy her company as much as he does.

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 **Finally got this one started! ^^ And I thought I should give it a bit of an intro, so why not put it in Luca's POV to show what he thought when Haley arrived? Anyways! Please remember to comment and tell me what you think!**


	2. An Example To Follow

**(If you've read the new chapter on War Technicalities, don't worry, you're not paranoid if you see the obvious similarities to this one. This chapter starts the exact same, in fact. They drift in different directions near the end, however - this chapter officially marks the split of the time-lines.)**

Like the typical Maurice, the orangutan had to get the last word in, but despite herself, Haley hoped for more, and something less vague than what he had told her. Nevertheless, her wishes went unheard and only silence loomed across the troop as they returned home without any more interruptions.

 _Haley, Caesar's friend, could get lost along the way."_

Over and over again, his words repeated themselves like a broken record in the young woman's ear, but, like a child who's confused by her parent's Shakespearian quote or the restaurant's fortune cookie, Haley couldn't understand what he meant. Blissfully ignorant, she touched her face with great interest, trying to feel some trigger to Maurice's hint on how she was changing. Naturally, she knew she has changed quite a bit, the burning sun and passing years have taken care of that, but she was growing, so change should be expected, so what was his point then – did he mean to say she changed in personality or soul, or maybe in spirit and beliefs? Of course not, she concluded – she hasn't changed at all. Again and again, she kept denying her intuition's search for the truth, and only a high-pitched screech clawing at her ears was enough to snap her out of her thoughts, the sound startling enough to make her fall the rest of the way down her horse as she was about to get off. Through Maurice's distracting and amused gibbers at her clumsiness, Haley took nearly no time at all before she saw the source of the sound dangling from Caesar's home about the village, waving to grab his attention in case her bellowing didn't. She heard Maurice grow silent as soon as he saw what she did, and while they watched their king rush up the spiral to his home, Haley felt her stomach turn – just like the rest of the troop, Haley knew from the midwife's alarming sound that she was not the bringing of good news.

And so, with Koba still not returned from his supposed hunt, Haley never went back to her own home and simply sat with the orangutan by the school, her anxious eyes permanently glued to the tree house. She still felt something was off about Koba's leaving, and she still wondered what Maurice's words meant, but her worry never wavered, nor did it allow other thoughts to bother her, though she never left to go see if Cornelia was alright either. Like Maurice knew, and like Haley knew Koba most likely assume the opposite to, it was not because of some hatred towards the queen ape that Haley didn't go see her, but rather the opposite. _She will go visit later, when Cornelia's better_ , she decided – she knew the female ape would hate Haley seeing her in such a condition. Despite the atmosphere, Haley felt her lips pull into a sad smile at the thought; she could see why Caesar fell for Cornelia: she was stubborn, strong-willed, and always stood for what she believed, no matter what anyone else said.

Still, the fleeting moment of affection quickly shattered when a familiar uproar broke out at the village gates once again, the sound quickly setting Haley's teeth at edge. After almost no time at all, the same image unfolded in front of her: Malcolm shoved into everyone's line of sight like he was being put on trial. However, her scowl quickly faltered when her eyes flickered over his appearance – even from afar, she could see that he was in no worse state than when she left him at the river; in fact, he was standing tall on his feet, unlike the last time where he was dragged through the mud and kept of his knees. Bewildered, Haley sent Luca behind him a surprised and questioning look, which went unacknowledged when the large gorilla only grunted and looked away. Again, her thoughts were rendered irrelevant when something interrupted, but this time alarm bubbled up her throat, the sight of Rocket getting ready to go alert Caesar sending her shooting to her feet, Maurice's warning coo going unnoticed. "Wait!" Haley called to the chimp in a whisper as quickly as she could, and to her delight, she was able to stop him before he was able to steal Caesar from his ill wife – she knew Caesar would have felt a duty to his people and would have wanted to speak with Malcolm, and she knew Cornelia would have allowed him to do so, neither being something Haley would allow. Yet, when Rocket froze and gave Haley a look that demanded a much-needed explanation, her explanation went lost to her; instead, she simply kept her eyes on him with a silent plea flickering in their depths. She couldn't let him alarm Caesar; even the king of apes shouldn't leave his wife in that condition. No one could've been more surprised than she, however, when she saw Rocket's tense muscles slack under his nearly fur-less skin and he glanced to Malcolm with a defeated look. Without words, Haley somehow knew he understood, and somehow knew permission was given for her to do as she pleased. Though, as she made her way over to the human male, she needed to force herself to ignore the smoldering glares from the apes around her, even though her gaze appeared no different towards the older man.

"I need to talk to Caesar!" Malcolm insisted immediately, and although Haley almost wanted to commend him on his uncanny ability to jump right to the point, his sudden exclamation made her eyes darken at his daringness. Still, she could see the strength and determination in Malcolm's eyes, the one she knew bought Caesar's approval the day he arrived – it was the look that told the king of apes exactly how much Malcolm would do to protect his people when it's necessary.

This didn't matter.

"You can't." Haley spat venomously through the thick silence around her, but still nodded for the Gorilla Guards to ease back, which they did with one or two reluctant steps back. "He said no guns – that was his only condition." Haley explained, "You knew that and you broke it, so, seeing as we don't have a door, feel free to hit yourself on your way out."

"Carver's just an idiot!" He merely continued before attempting a quick step to his side, one that Haley countered with ease, "Please, will you just let me talk to him?" Haley wasn't sure if it was his tone or his choice of words, but they somehow made her eyes narrow suspiciously – _he couldn't, could he?_

"Like I said, you can't." She threw back carefully, skillfully structuring her sentence like a hook and rod so she could fish for the exact response she was looking for, "He's tending to his mate; she's ill." As if summoned by a medical term, Ellie was suddenly shoved into the picture a few feet behind her husband – she must have followed him – but it was Malcolm's look of dismay and confusion that captured Haley's attention instead. In just that one look, she knew she was right.

"But aren't…" He spoke carefully, though he unknowingly made Haley's heart clench and her blood run cold in horror – she never expected him to speak out about- "You said… I thought you were Caesar's mate?" Just for a moment – a single second – there was a pause in the air around them, everyone frozen while Haley's face grew beet red in shock and embarrassment, but time soon had to tick forward. It was almost as if the troop needed a moment to process Malcolm's words or to concur with whoever was next to them that they heard correctly, but as soon as the scenario processed, outrage screamed across the clearing in terrifying screeches and hoots. Even through his concern for the paralyzed woman, however, Maurice felt a tad bit amused by Malcolm's assumption, not at all surprised with how familiar the two are – though, this amusement quickly dwindled with every minute that the mob grew more out of control. Luckily, Haley wasn't unaffected – in fact, fury and frustration could physically be seen boiling to life inside of her, and finally, she had enough, her blush long-since faded away.

"Shut up!" She snapped at them over her shoulder, and to her own shock, the colony actually listened – some type of involuntary response, she gathered – and allowed her to circle back to Malcolm, just in time to see him relax after the fright the exclamations gave him, "He's our leader, so of course he's not my mate; though, you've had a run-in with the ape that is my mate."

"Please, Haley." Ellie quickly intervened and openly changed the subject, even though Malcolm seemed more curious about Haley's love life than anything else, "We need to talk to Caesar." Without pause, Haley wanted to deny their pleas again, but the desperation in her voice set the hairs on the back of Haley's neck on end. Forgetting that she had no power in the village, she felt torn between allowing them to go see Caesar or not, her jaw clenching while she bit back a lazy answer. Of course, she already knew at the river that they were clueless to Carver's impulses, and so, she knew they could be trusted, but they were human, so could they really be trusted or was it just her human mind giving them leeway. And so, as if searching for answers in the crowd, Haley glanced around her, studying one ape's face and them another, and in no time at all, her earthy orbs landed on a pair of tiny green spheres – Maurice.

"— _just be careful which ape's example you decide to follow—"_

 _Maybe,_ _she wondered…_

Of course, she already knew what Koba would do: he'd not only deny their offer, but he'd toss a spear at their backs as they were leaving, so what about Caesar? Would he allow them into the village again if it wasn't his son that was attacked, given that it wasn't them who caused it, or would he send them away? Would he remember how he struggled to keep his people safe and think about how the humans are trying to do the same thing? Would he think about the potential danger his rejection would cause for the village – his village – or would it not matter to him? And, whether it's the latter or the first, will she follow him… or her mate?

Eyes flickering away from Maurice's stare, his knowing look making it clear that he knew exactly what she was thinking, she looked back to Malcolm and Ellie, but then, as her gaze shifted from one to the other, it unwillingly glued to a pair of deep, green eyes behind them – Luca. He was clearly confused of what caused her to study him so suddenly, but still she could only see the creases around his nose and eyes increase under her watch – he didn't seem bothered at all, just puzzled.

Luca, the giant gorilla, was a member of the Gorilla Guard, but unlike the rest, he was different – he was their leader – and he was Haley's most unlikely friend. The Gorilla Guard, 'the protectors of the village' or 'the wall for others to hide behind' – they were the ones who took care of everyone and they were known for following the example that Buck left behind, a gorilla who was killed on the bridge ten years ago with his undying loyalty to Caesar still intact, but still it was Luca who set Haley free of her restraints when she was dragged to the apes' fort. But that didn't change the fact that she knew he would have destroyed her if Caesar wanted him to – no matter how ironically gentle the 6-foot-tall ape seemed to be – and he would have known what to do without Caesar having to say or sign a word, because he always seemed to know exactly what Caesar wants. Luca was the leader of the Gorilla Guard and the one who's mission was to protect their king, as well as to follow the unsaid orders he gives.

 _Maybe,'_ she wondered again, her eyes shifting back to Malcolm and Ellie, but this time it took her little to no time at all before she finally made up her mind: Caesar would've wanted to hear what the humans wanted, and although he might not be their biggest fan right now, she had an odd feeling that they had to see him. Unfortunately, she still couldn't allow them to take Caesar away from his sickly wife.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Malcolm and Ellie stepped back in alarm when they, once again, saw the familiar point of an arrow aimed their way, their throats growing dry in an instant, but unlike the danger they were expecting, Haley then simply stepped out of the way and nodded them towards the tree. Malcolm, thought he was glad, felt himself grow anxious at the sudden change of heart and grabbed his wife's hand protectively before he finally skulked pass the blonde woman and up to the tree house, her weapon and steps following close behind, along with the hulking gorilla he's come to know so well after being captured by him twice.

 ** _Hope_ _you guys liked the little change there. After this, though, it won't exactly be this subtle..._**

 ** _Anyways! I do hope you're all enjoying this timeline so far!_**


	3. No Worth or No Weight

After leading the humans into Caesar's tree house at arrow-point, Haley watched with shameful satisfaction as he snapped for Malcolm to leave his home, but that didn't change the feeling in her gut about the importance of him listening to them, the feeling only amplifying under pride when Caesar sent her an annoyed glance. She wanted to speak out and voice the strange inkling she had, but she knew better after seeing the disappointment glossing over his eyes. Nevertheless, her equanimity gained more than an unsure cause when she saw Ellie's attention flicker to Cornelia's heaving and sickly figure, only to be expected from the hoarse breathing that practically enveloped the room. Haley's eyes widened when realization struck: that was why she knew Ellie had to go there – somewhere in Haley's twisted mind, she kept wondering about her love's female and her health, but she was oddly relieved about it too, happy that prejudice and loathing didn't even exist subconsciously towards Cornelia.

"I have medicine." Ellie said, careful not to speak too loud or fast in case they'd be sent away again, "Antibiotics." Haley could see the hope flicker in Caesar's otherwise glossy and tired eyes, lids red from the sorrow he was enduring to look strong, but still she couldn't miss the resistance burn inside of him, impossible after how long she had known him.

"Maybe she can help." Malcolm suggested, and Haley silently pleaded for Caesar to agree. Studying Cornelia's limp and dazed state, Haley knew it was the ape's last chance – she could only pray that Caesar would put aside what had happened at the dam and would realize this, too.

"Do not… trust you." Caesar grunted out, however, destroying her dream of everything going her way without a fight.

"Then trust me." Haley announced behind the two humans, her voice shaky despite her determination to intervene, but even after Luca huffed at her side as some odd warning for her to stay out of it, she simply lowered her bow and slipped the arrow back into its quiver so she could sign out of Ellie and Malcolm's understanding, _"Please, Caesar, you know you don't have much of a choice here."_ Though, despite her efforts, they only took a small leap to know what she said when Caesar's eyes narrowed and he turned away to mull over her words, studying his wife to confirm Haley's affirmation. Alas, unbothered by Blue Eyes' silent pleas for him to dismiss them, he had no choice but to step aside in order to save them, and seeing him clear the path was all the que Ellie needed to quickly move to the side of the nest, shrug off the backpack, and scavenge through the bag for what she needed.

For a second, Haley felt a pleasant familiarity with the woman's actions, reminded of when she used to visit Caesar with her bag off odd toys and trinkets, but the fond recollection quickly shattered when her heart darkened at those simple words, "One day." Even Ellie seemed surprised, her head snapping up from her hunt for supplies to stare at Caesar in disbelief, but her thought of having heard wrong was denied when he added against his own desires, "You stay one day."

 _"_ _Father, no."_ Blue Eyes signed briskly, as if somehow connected with the horror that filled Haley.

 _That was not what she wanted at all_ , she thought – that was taking it too far. Immediately, her face contorted in disgust, Carver's similar expression coming to mind from when he found out about her relationship with one of the apes; she couldn't blame him, as it wasn't exactly common, but she'd do anything not to see his stupid face again.

"We may need a little more ti—"Malcolm tried to bargain, but only to get petrified at Caesar's retaliation. "One day!" The King barked again, though Haley was too appalled by the situation to get startled by his exclamation as well, even if she couldn't help but be relieved when he calmed and continued, "Ape will help."

"On one condition," Haley hissed out of turn, all eyes immediately falling on her, including Caesar's wordless caution for her to keep quiet. She knew she wasn't in any place to make decisions for the village, and after her choice earlier, she was already on thin ice, but it was like word-vomit pushing against the back of her throat, her fury too much for her to resist. "On one contention," She repeated in a yell, "you leave that bastard, Carver, out of all of this!"

"Haley!" Caesar finally barked furiously at her, and this time, his warning cut deep, making Haley flinch back in shock and back into her place. Yet, it took only a second for her eyes to dim thanks to his demand, jaw clenching in anger. _Her words really carried no weight for the colony_ , she realized – it was strange how she felt caged in a society of people who despised the mere notion. She knew she was lucky to be allowed to live there at all, but being lucky mean nothing for her worth. Whether it was honor or hurt that compelled her, Haley wasn't sure, but she tisked in annoyance before whisking around and storming out of the home, finally having enough and unknowingly leaving Caesar to watch her in terrified astonishment, Luca and Blue Eyes looking no different. _It was unlike her_ , they thought with worry, but it was Luca who ultimately gave Caesar an apologetic glance for not staying and followed after her, at least settling his leader's unease for a while.

 **Another chapter done; I hope you all enjoy it at least a little bit. Don't forget to comment and keep me busy, hehe.**


	4. Oblivious As Always

Haley was wracked with guilt from her outburst as soon as she reached the bottom of the tree and made it out of earshot, and so, her tensed shoulders slacked in shame. After two years of keeping quiet, staying in her place, and keeping her head down, Haley had exploded, and she was appalled by her brain's decision to do it in these trying times, and just like the others back in Caesar's home, she knew it was unlike her, just like she was sure her reasons were unclear. Apparently, in exhaustion, Haley gains enough strength to speak out, but her filter fails under her lack of sleep. Groaning at her own logic, she messaged her aching temples. _Or maybe_ , she thought, _she was just frustrated and on a short fuse, her recollection of Carver having reminded her about the fact that Koba was still avoiding and ignoring her_. Whatever her reason, she could only hope that Caesar understood, even if he didn't know about the mud her relationship was slowly sinking into.

Thumping footsteps interrupted her deep contemplation and unwittingly allowed her tired body to gain some strength in the midst of friendly acknowledgment when she realized it could be no one except her friend, Luca, but then, as soon as the recollection of her insolence drew her attention again, her joy faltered and she sighed with indignation – she still didn't see how she did anything wrong, though. _"On a scale of one to ten, exactly how mad is he?"_ She signed besides her with stiff and unsure movements, announcing her knowledge of Luca's arrival without glancing behind her, even if it was obvious with his heavy weight and hulking physique, given that they reveal his presence anywhere – she could even hear the wood shifting and creaking beneath him. He was more than twice her size, she knew, especially since she was smaller than the normal human, even with her bigger-than-average muscles, but whenever he loomed over her or caused the floor to protest, it succeeded in reminded her. She peeked over her shoulder for his answer, but only to scoff in disbelief when he answered, _"Zero – Caesar worried."_

 _"Of course he is."_ She tossed with her hands before she continued down from the tree and dropped onto the cliff in front of Maurice's school, gazing down at the stone platform ahead in the center of the village to study the carving in it. Like so few in the village, Haley knew the true origins of the styled diamond in the perfect circle, having seen Caesar through that same shape the first time she saw him, and more times than she cared to admit, it helped her to stare at it and remember her innocent years. _"He never stops worrying; he did the same thing when we were young, always looking out for me like I'm a child – or worse, a fragile_ human _child."_ Haley continued venting to Luca, who had followed her with each step, knowing she'd want to talk more, and watched him sit down beside her before she went on, _"It's infuriating, but that's not why I spoke out – at least, I don't think."_ Her hands moved more brisk and annoyed, _"I just don't want to face that man again! He's intolerable!"_ She could feel it rising in her again: the frustration, the rage… the sense of unimportance in the colony.

Luca grunted in agreement – unlike with the two humans who came back to the village earlier, he wasn't too fond of the violent human male. Mostly, however, it was because of the insults Carver had thrown at Haley. Luca may not have been the happiest ape in the troop about her relationship with Koba, but he knew Carver was out of line. In fact, Luca had more reason than most to hate the announcement Haley and Koba had made about their mating. Though a Gorilla's hearing is close to that of a chimp, even more so to a human's, their sense of smell is significantly stronger, and so, the two's intermingled scents felt like bile in the back of Luca's throat, but still he said nothing.

Yet, he forced his mind away from that and onto his strange inkling instead.

 _"Scared what Koba will do if Carver insults him more?"_ He guessed, and when he saw Haley stiffen, he knew he was right, _"Always looks scared and careful around Koba, even with smile."_ It had been an observation he made a long time ago, and despite his silence over the matter, it terrified him for Haley's sake.

It wasn't intentional – blame it on her exhaustion again if you will – but Luca's words hit a mark that Haley's been trying to hide, even from herself, and made that sickening word-vomit push back up. "This observation coming from an ape that's never had a mate." She spat venomously, but immediately froze and felt her breath hitch when her words processed, her head quickly snapping to Luca in horror, just in time to see his prominent brows furrow and him gaze back out over the village, seemingly in intense thought about something. It wasn't that it was terrible for him to not have a mate, but she said it with enough poison that she was quickly disgusted with herself again – not to mention, she knew Luca was the one ape in the village that deserved a loving mate more than anyone, being as kind and considerate as he was. _So unlike Koba_ , she found herself thinking. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." She apologized quickly and sincerely, and released a defeated moan as she dropped her head in her hand, fatigue finally hitting her, "I'm just tired – the last few days have been too much. Really, I didn't mean it."

There was a long pause, Haley slowly growing anxious that her words had damaged between them what couldn't be repaired, but eventually—

"I… know…" She heard him grunt out, his voice so uncharacteristically smooth that it startled her upright with her jolt, especially with how deep it was, and made her blink up at him in disbelief – she couldn't believe it was her first time hearing him speak… or that he sounded like _that_. Then again, it perfectly resembled his gentle soul. Her stare, however, only made Luca tilt his head back almost bashfully, as if attempting to use his tall upper body to his advantage and hide his face from her view above his jaw. _"Know Haley didn't mean it._ " He signed, rather having her see the depressingly unskilled signing of his thick, long arms and giant hands than hear him struggle to speak, his throat and tongue still foreign to the feeling of speech after he barely used it in the past ten years of being able to – if those few uses even counted as anything at all. Ironically, her focus was on something else entirely; rather, she was focused on the fact that he still uses the signs for 'valley' and 'meadow' together to sign her name. It had been a year since she told him the meaning of her name, but he never stopped with the unintentionally sweet gesture, and just like now, it always brought the hint of a smile to her face. _"And Luca…"_ He continued, his movement jerky with hesitance, and paused for a few more moments before pushing on, _"has mate – has mate in his heart."_

Instantly, Haley's jaw slacked into a gape, her stomach dropping with what she assumed to be shock and bewilderment. _He couldn't be saying_ , she thought in astonishment, oblivious to the fact that her previous turmoil has left her mind, just like Luca wanted. "You… like someone?" She breathed, her arms somehow numb from the shock of his announcement, making it impossible for her to keep up their tradition, and when she saw his frown increase, she knew her assumption to the meaning behind his words were correct. Still, that didn't help her process it – she never even considered that he already had love for someone and that was why he didn't have a mate. _"Who?"_ She asked slowly, taking a leap of faith, but with a single glare from him, she knew he wasn't going to spill, just as she expected, which allowed her to ask something else instead, _"Does she know? Why haven't you told her?"_ If anyone could 'get the girl,' Haley knew it would be Luca. Nevertheless, despite her presumption, she saw him shake his head.

 _"Mated with another."_ He explained, and although it was straightforward and without feeling, Haley could see the sullen expression hiding behind the stoic exterior. Oddly enough, however, Haley felt relieved about his situation, because it meant she wasn't the only one. _How funny it would be if the target of his affections was Cornelia_ , Haley thought, but shook the thought away. Somehow, she knew that was not the case. Soon, it didn't matter anyway.

Haley's attention quickly glued to the small group of apes and two humans walking to the village gates, and not surprisingly, she heard Luca getting up to go with them. _"Coming?"_ He asked and unintentionally forced Haley to move to her feet as well so she could look at him without straining her neck too much.

 _"No,"_ She said, shaking her head with reassuring smile, _"I should wait for Koba to return, maybe calm him down a bit when he hears the news."_

With that, Haley slipped pass the Gorilla Guard's chief, giving his bicep an encouraging pat beside her head along the way, and made her way over to the clearing to create a new campfire for the night and to keep herself occupied, letting Luca get back to work and remaining as unaware as always to his loving eyes lingering on her with a sense of affection that no one else in the village could possibly match. She was just happy he was able to calm her down and return her to normal – she made a mental note to thank him later.

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 **I want to update War Technicalities today, too, but no promises. Again, don't forget to leave those lovely and tooth-achingly sweet comments if you enjoyed this chapter and if you want to keep keeping me busy. XD**


	5. Straw Meet Camel

Despite Haley's better judgment to forget it, she found herself mulling over Luca's words while she pyramided some kindle atop her blistering tinder. _"Always looks scared and careful around Koba—"_ She could still feel the jab of his words where they had hit her core; she knew he was right. And so, like a dangerous mash of salt to a wound, Maurice's own warning leaked through her thoughts. _Maybe the old orangutan was right_ , she thought sullenly as she bewilderedly placed another piece of wood to the growing campfire, _maybe she has changed from how she used to be_. Unfortunately, she knew the prying gorilla was right and she was, indeed, afraid of her own mate, but why that stopped her from standing up for herself, she didn't know. In fact, when she spoke out of place the hour before was when she felt more like herself than she ever did in the past two years. She used to be steadfast to her opinion and unbendable against her beliefs, not to mention faithful to something she knew was right and also true when she knew something was wrong. Even against her own father, she fought many times. She used to be—

Pausing in her thoughts and in her progress with the fire, she wondered long and hard about how exactly she used to be, only to chuckle faintly out loud and neatly put another piece of kindle in the perfect spot when she realized the answer: she used to be like Luca. _What happened to that Haley_ , she mulled drearily, ignoring the fact that she could feel Tinker, Rocket's wife, giving her odd looks for her random changes in expressions. Funnily enough, Haley would've happily been embarrassed by those looks for a hundred years if it meant the new turn of events would not have happened.

The startled whinny of a horse immediately compelled Haley's head to whip up in alarm, thought the distraction only bought an opportunity for the flames to nip at her lingering hand and for her to gasp in alarm and suck on the stinging tip of her finger before she allowed herself to process the sight of Koba rushing towards her– she would have cowered back, given her previous line of thought, had it not been for the distress already riddling his face. _"What's wrong?"_ She signed quickly, seeming too in shock to speak her words, and rose, the campfire forgotten almost immediately.

 _"Just came from city."_ He rushed with a few guff and breathy hoots, _"Humans dangerous!"_

Unlike the urgency the bonobo might've wanted, Haley grew stalk-still at his warning, her face falling into disbelief. Completely unaware of his own slip-up, Koba merely turned confused, though Blue Eyes came to both their aid seconds later. Leaning his half-made spear against the small cliff-side behind him, the young ape stood from his spot atop a dried branch on the ground and walked into the conversation, Koba's attention immediately shifting to him, _"Where Caes—?"_

"You said you were going hunting." Haley interrupted, her tone frighteningly calm and empty, and enough so to turn a few heads their way, despite how quiet the talk remained – though she had been shaken up from her nightmare at the time, she was certain she couldn't have heard him wrong that morning. Slowly, she could feel the importance for her fear of Koba dwindling – compared to the reality suddenly dawning on her, him hurting her was trivial. And when Koba's face slacked into a state of faint panic when he grew conscious of what she meant, she knew he thought the same.

 _"Please – don't ever lie to me again – promise me!"_

After two years, Haley could still recall her condition without doubt of her memory'd accuracy – it was the one thing she asked of him when they agreed to go into their relation- _their farce_. _Whatever they have_ , it struck Haley, _was nothing close to a relationship_. And this only became clearer when the panic in Koba's seeing eye vanished, disgust and appall taking its place when the bonobo grew aware of the stares around them and noticing the audacity Haley was showing with standing up against him in front of everyone. His look – it reminded Haley of someone…

 _Carver_.

" _Koba not need permission_." The scarred ape finally grunted. Haley didn't know if it was the threat to his pride that drew the words from his dull lips, but even if she had a care left to give, it was crushed between her gnashing teeth, anger once again burning through her. They had an agreement – it was not giving permission that she craved, it was truth. Thinking back to how Luca calmed her earlier, however, Haley forced herself not to lunge at her mate. Despite the tempting and almost overwhelming desire to do exactly that, she knew she couldn't risk another outburst on the same day, just like she knew that she was officially sick of groveling at Koba's feet just so she could stay near her old friend, weight lifting from her withering strength at the recognition of that fact. Still, she bit back whatever quip was threatening to spring forward and only scoffed at her mate before she moved to walk away. Nevertheless, even if her scoff was meant to minimize her insolence, it chopped harshly at Koba's dignity under the stares of the other apes.

Haley jolted back with a small yelp when five callus fingers latched onto her wrist like an iron vise, making her leer at Koba over her shoulder when she processed her situation. For a tense moment, the two of them just stared, as if daring the other to make a wrong move so he or she could pounce, but unfortunately, the longer Haley gazed into Koba's eyes, the more her endurance faltered. 'Stand down,' she could read his unsaid and unsigned words, 'know your place,' but even if she kept telling herself to do as told, the commands only set her teeth on edge. Finally, with an annoyed and daring growl, she tore her arm free, and immediately the apes grew eerily silent around them, not even the rustle of a bush or the familiar hoots of the spotted owl there to be heard. Though the air seemed quiet and peaceful, however, Haley could see Koba's fur bristling in anger under the stares of his colony. As if it was the straw that broke the camel's back, her actions ultimately forced a chilling screech across the village as Koba pounced at his mate – supposedly, Haley lost their little stare-down.

Meeting his attack with just as much force that was given, Haley braced herself for the collision with the sludge of dirt below as she was tackled down and forced her eyes to stay open while liquid mud splashed around her sides and into her face. Used to an ape's method for attacking, she interrupted when he raised his powerful fists to slam against her face and punched up at his own instead, though her already-aching wrist was grabbed before she had the chance; however, she took the opportunity and tossed her other arm up as well, gritting her own teeth in degust when her pointed index and middle fingers poked against the soft and moist surface of his good eye. Involuntarily, the ape flinched at the sudden sting and reached to protect it, only giving Haley opportunity to turn the tables and flip them over. Still, her opening was destroyed as well when Koba broke through his disorientation, snaked himself back through the mud, and kicked against her stomach with all the force he could muster, sending her flying backwards, just like he had done two years before. Haley barely had time to process the alarmed scream of Tinker before her body collided with the ape's cause for concern – the flourishing campfire; the young woman released a bellowing cry as red-hot embers seared into her exposed upper leg, hip, shoulder, neck, right ear, and cheek, shards and burning ash barely missing her eyes as they clouded into the air from the impact of her fall. Her body convulsed into a petrified shape as her skin simmered underneath the scattered bits of fiery wood like a pot of boiling soup, skin scorched full of red and swollen boils before Tinker had the chance to hurriedly pull her away and wipe the lingering pieces from raw flesh. Haley could feel her skin pounding acutely underneath the nasty burns, the corner of her mouth and the entirety of her ear feeling stiff from their charred surfaces. She could barely manage a whimper pass her ruined lips as unwilling tears worsened the sting of the exposed tissue.

In horror, Tinker studied Haley's nasty wounds as the girl stiffly laid in her hairy arms, her apish throat dry with a sudden onset of helplessness. Many times, Tinker has helped the young apes with a few minor burns they got while foolishly playing with fire, and they've healed with only insignificant scars, but as Haley's red-stained arm clawed on its own and turned rigid at her side, trembling with uncontrollable spasm, Tinker knew that simply applying a cold cloth wouldn't do. Still, despite her fret for her husband's friend, she wasn't in enough of a panic to ignore Koba's approach, nor was the regret and shame on his sullen face enough to make Tinker resist a furious hiss. At her warning, Koba halted immediately and took a cautious step back.

"You…" A hoarse and weak croak startled them both, however, Haley's voice nothing more than a frail lisp as she forced her loathing words forward and toward the blurred figure a few yards ahead, consciousness drifting, "…you really are… nothing… like Caesar." Even through her detest for Koba and the overwhelming agony coursing through her veins, Haley knew it was by an accident that she was in her predicament, but it didn't matter; deep down, Haley had known Koba would eventually hurt her in a way that neither of them will ever be able to take back, and clearly, she was right.


	6. The Human Village

After her frail but scornful words, Haley couldn't tell what had happened to Koba, nor any of the others, and could only feel her body be carried away against her will, her burns screaming against the resulting breeze. Powerful and apish hands hoisted her from the ground and laid her down in the hut with the healers, a groan pushing free from her lips when her raw scabs scratched against hay and dirt. Yet, as moments passed within a daze, Haley dreaded the fact that her pain was already subsiding, somehow knowing the fact wasn't a good thing.

Nevertheless, the _outline_ of her wounds thundered torturously enough on their own, only hindered by the sweet solace of icy wet cloths being draped on them, dipped in honey and egg whites to help. But still, against her will, Haley flinched with discomfort as the cool material wrapped around the entirety of her side, inevitably covering her right eye and ear and finally extinguishing the smoke that was clouding up from her singed hair. In the process, she felt her body heat get shattered where her clothes had previously been, now cut free with sharp, jagged rocks around the wounds. Despite the agony still jabbing to the marrow of her bones, her frame an agonizing combination of stiff and numb, Haley sighed shakily with relief as stabbing cold replaced her stabbing nerves – that is, only those nerves that survived the fire. Slowly but surely, she was left to feel a few more of them wither away.

Frantic, feminine hoots and gibbers tore through Haley's weakened alertness and she didn't need to see their signing to know the subject of their conversing; by the trembling of her limbs, Haley knew there wasn't anything more they could do.

It felt like hours passed of Haley watching the blurred, furred silhouettes through the corner of her eye, her neck locked in place by its own charred surface, before she finally noticed Lake was no longer in the room. Lake was an old friend of Blue Eyes and Ash before she began learning with the females about care and healing, so of course Haley was confused by her lack of presence. Though, her confusion barely lasted a second before the ape's reason for leaving dawned in her stomach like a nauseating punch in the gut, the sound of unsettled apes growing louder outside and weighing heavily with trepidation. However, no matter how much she attempted to force her body to move, trying to hide away in the shadows, her muscles wouldn't let her hurt herself more. And so, before long, Caesar's horrified face and wide green eyes peered into focus, Luca and Maurice's large shapes framing his disheveled figure.

Haley barely had time to avoid his gaze before it burned with a sudden and chilling rage and he moved away. "Where Koba?" She heard him growl to the others while her eye flickered to the other two, attempting to give them her best look of reassurance. By the looks they gave in return, hers wasn't very good. Both of them seemed in a state of panic, Luca shuffling around discretely, contemplating if he should interrupted the females to move closer.

 _"Don't know."_ Tinker signed in a rush in between her attempts to keep Haley's coverings moist, _"Said he left to find you."_

Not seeing him between then others, Haley felt an urge to commit an insolence and interrupt Caesar's conversation to ask them where Rocket was, but when she heard Caesar grunt furiously and stomp off, she knew Rocket must have left to find Koba as soon as he heard the news. He's always had a shorter fuse than his leader. Instead, something else tore pass her lips. Honestly, Haley had no idea what compelled her - maybe it was the hint of insanity that flickered in Caesar's normally kind eyes, or maybe it was something worse: the need to defend her mate. Or rather, a 'fear' to defend him. "I provoked him." Haley breathed, careful not to move the right side of her face too much, even though Tinker hooted frustratedly anyways. She didn't care how mad Tinker was at her for talking, however, because her confession did what it had intended: Caesar stopped and turned back to her. His face was scrunched and he was glaring at her, but not in anger - rather, it was clear he didn't believe her. She tried again, "It was an accide-"

A single huff stopped her and everyone immediately turned their attention to the gorilla in the corner, startled. He didn't elaborate, however, and rather gibbered accusingly her way. Luca's entire body seemed rigit, his face contorted in a strange mixture of worry and exasperation. When he heard what happened to Haley, he had felt his entire core jerk in horror - he felt sick, which was more than just embarrassing for him, given his ranking and position. His head pounded, his breath was heavy, and his body numb. He wanted nothing more than to chase Koba down and rip him into pieces, bite his neck flat, or to pound his head in, but he was too worried to follow Rocket. Instead, he was right next to Caesar as the council members promptly quickened their pace and swung home in the trees, leaving the horses with the rest. As petty as he knew it was of him, Luca wanted nothing more than to beat Caesar to the village, but gorillas weren't nearly as agile in the trees. As a result, hearing Haley defend Koba's honor made it feel to Luca as if his worry was being belittled. Luca had told her that he could see she was scared of Koba and her acting as if Koba didn't do anything wrong, it tied a vice around his heart. _She couldn't have possibly been that badly distorted by Koba yet, right?_ And, as bad as it was, he was partly happy to hear the news, to know she regained some of the life she had when she arrived in the village.

But, of course, he couldn't bring himself to say any of this and rather hooted and huffed for Haley to stop, making it quite clear that he knew for a fact that she wasn't telling the truth.

Just as he finished, Ellie made an appearance anyway, with Alex, Malcolm, Foster, and Kemp right behind her. All of them were perfectly breathless and sweaty from their dash from the horses. Haley was flattered that so many were worried about her, but there comes a time where it just reaches absurdity - now was that time. Groaning faintly, ignoring the warning look from Tinker, Haley stopped Ellie from the predictable 'are you okay?' At least all of the strange events that have been following her accident have been officiant in somewhat distracting Haley from the pain. Only one statement was enough to bring her back to reality, though.

"Can't heal her." Tinker confessed slowly, "Burns too deep." Just like Luca, Tinker barely spoke in human speech, making her voice sound hoarse and raspy, but with the humans around, she knew she had to resort to hit. But the pause she gave made everyone on edge, Caesar's new-found attention slowly fading. Without a word, Tinker stared at Ellie with clear contemplation, actually making the human doctor understandably uncomfortable after a while. Eventually, she at least moved and startled everyone by shooing the other females outside, allowing them to leave, albeit they were hesitant. Haley, of course, was most startled of all. Haley understood if Tinker knew she couldn't heal her, but suddenly just ditching an attempt entirely and dismissing everyone - it was just a little too harsh. Though, she didn't have a chance to protest before a large figure shuffled into view and grabbed her attention. Earlier, when Luca interrupted Haley's feign of Koba's innocence, Haley had felt worried, but now, when his green eyes begun to reveal themselves in the darkness of his own shadow, the idea of him outing the truth was entirely irrelevant.

Gorilla hands, just like other apes, are rubbery and hard from the long periods of time they stay on them, building resistance to stones and twigs, and maybe that was why Luca's palms were more soft and smooth than others'. Years of being raised in the zoo granted him, although cruelly, a gentle touch. Haley only realized this when she felt his stubby fingers wrap around her unharmed hand carefully, her tiny hand going lost in his flat, giant palm. Haley was confused and bewildered, staring down at their hands in shock, but it wasn't the sudden show of affection that startled her, it was the tingling of her skin, the thundering in her chest, the swelling of her heart, the dryness of her throat, at the sweet gesture. For a moment, the pain in her body got worse from the sudden rush of blood in her veins, but she was too surprised to take notice. She knew he took her hand because he was too afraid he'd hurt her if he placed his forehead to hers, given his large frame, but somehow, such a faint touch affected her so much worse. Finally, Haley couldn't help but smile up at him.

"Human village," Tinker eventually spoke, still keeping her focus on Ellie. There was no real explanation to what she meant, but Caesar didn't need one. Those two simple words made his lips thin. He, of all apes, knew how much more advanced human medicine was, but the problem was: would Haley allow them to help her? She might be human, but she had a loathing for humans just as much as anyone in his troop, and it was no secret that she was stubborn. "She'll get worse." Tinker signed more furiously in response to his silence, keeping an explanation for Ellie for later, "She'll get sick!"

"I know." Caesar grunted simply in response, however. It wasn't like he didn't. Apes have gotten severely sick from minor burns, and just imagining what Haley's state could do to her made Caesar's stomach turn. But Tinker's determination convinced him nonetheless. "Human village," he repeated, circling to Ellie and the others, "could help Haley?"

"Yes," Ellie nodded shakily, still trying to process the sight of Haley, "We've helped others like… this. But," She added, glancing to the girl, "she will have to go there, and transporting her there will take some time."

This, of course, grabbed Haley's attention immediately. "You're not taking me anywhere," She snapped weakly before flinching when she tried to turn her head their way. "I'm not going anywhere," She hissed pass the pounding in her neck, "I'll be fine."

"The fact that you can say that only proves how bad those burns are." Ellie spoke before anyone else had a chance, a distinct professional tone in her voice, "The only reason you're not passed out is because your nerves were friend off," she paused when she saw Haley didn't even blink at the news, "and you know that."

"Even if I do-"

"Not discussion." Caesar grunted quickly before he addressed Ellie again, "Be... safe?"

"Yes, because she-" Ellie assured without a moment of waver, but as soon as she understood why Haley will be safe, she trailed off. Looking around, she swallowed her words and thought it better not to say anything else. Everyone knew exactly why Haley wouldn't be in any danger in the city: she's human. Luckily, no one was so small as take offence of reality, and rather, that's all everyone needed to hear before action was finally taken. "We'll have to use the jeep," Ellie spoke over her shoulder to Malcolm, who nodded in agreement.

Haley still tried protesting, but it was no use - no one really care about her opinion over the matter, they only cared about getting her the help she needed. Letting go of her hand, Luca followed the careful directions of Tinker and wormed his hands underneath Haley's knees and back and slowly hoisted her into the air, her skin and torn clothes sticky from the honey and egg whites. He cringed at the groans and whimpers that escaped her lips from the movement and kept the entire right side of her body as far from his fur and skin as possible, not wanting to hurt her more. How he wished he could enjoy the feeling of her numb body, as a result, collapsing against his chest, but it only made his anxiety grow. Haley, however, basked at the cold his skin offered against her cheek and shoulder, compared to the burning heat searing into the rest of her body.

As she was carried away, Haley found herself taking note of just a few distinct faces in the crowd: Blue Eyes, Ash, Cornelia, and… Grey. A close follower of Koba, it made no sense to Haley that he was still in the village, but there he stood, sneering as if she was pure stink to his senses. Through her blurry vision, Grey's glower burnt with immense and burning hatred, and somehow, Haley instantly knew her burns were the least of her worries, or anyone else's.

 _Gods, when will they get that dam fixed?_

* * *

 **Great Scotland Yard, I just checked how many likes I have on my Planet Of The Apes stories (been a while, haha) and WOAH, that's insane. (OoO) Like, I seriously don't get why you guys like my writing so much, but thank you, haha! I love you all so much!**

 **And again, please, if you're up for it, go check out my YouTube Channel: Geeky Fanatic. I should be updating WT next weekend. Depends if I get it done before my break is over.**


	7. Death Of A Lie

Haley felt dizzy and scatterbrained. She wobbled slightly where she sat in her bed - a bed. She wasn't really sure where she was. Looking around, she saw walls, doors, and windows, but none of the details would reach her focus. It was as if she wasn't allowed to see them; as if they weren't even there to see. She closed her eyes, squeezed them as tightly as she could, and opened them again, but nothing changed.

She tried to figure out what was going on - what was happening - what had happened. The last thing she remembered…

It was a terrifying truth when Haley realized she couldn't remember anything - not how she got there or what she was doing before she got there. But she knew she was supposed to be hurt, and as she gazed down at her hands and arms, she confusedly found that they were unscathed, and they looked small and young. That didn't feel right.

"Oh, finally, you are awake!" A voice gasped in relief, growing louder to signify that, whoever it was, he or she was moving closer. What the person said didn't sound right to Haley either. She couldn't recall ever waking up - had she ever fallen asleep? She couldn't be sure.

"I was starting to worry." The stranger continued - it sounded like a woman this time, as if Haley was only allowed to notice her gender then, and something told Haley that she knew her. Again, she couldn't be sure. "Are you feeling better?"

Haley's body moved on its own. Stiffly, her head turned towards the person and nodded faintly - a lie, Haley knew somehow. Haley, however, felt her chest and throat tighten in horror immediately. She tried backing away, but her body wouldn't let her. Haley knew, deep down, that she conversed with this person in the past, but just like her surroundings, her mind seemed to keep this truth from her. The woman's face was empty and flat - just a blank shade of skin. Haley felt sick to her stomach at the sight. Though she was still lost in an unknown, she knew faces aren't meant to look like that - they have eyes, a nose, a mouth, and, most of the time, eyebrows as well. And each of those faces attracts someone - a face isn't meant to terrify young children. _She was a young child, right?_ Haley was grateful when her head turned back again, only a couple of seconds later. She didn't want to look into that face again - if it could be called a face.

Despite not having a mouth, the woman continued, "Oh good. Then you should be out of here soon."

Haley's body actually physically jerked as she was shoved back into the right mind. Those words - that empty promise - it was what finally unveiled the reality. She's heard the phrase enough times to recognize it. And so, whatever cloud was enveloping her mind was immediately cleared, while her surroundings kept their undetailed appearance; in fact, the odd world around her helped to realize what was happening.

She was reliving a time in her childhood - one of the times when she was stuck in the hospital. She didn't know which time specifically - there were too many - but she knew it had to be when she was a bit older. Because, it was by that time that she didn't pay enough attention to what was happening around her, or to the people helping her. She had been through the drill too many times. Thus, it was no surprise that her brain couldn't produce most of the details. But somehow, knowing where she was, Haley felt even worse. She never wanted to be back there - ever.

"I got you something." The nurse carried on and Haley felt something heavy rest on her leg.

It was almost blinding to look at the thick book. Unlike everything else, the book's color was bright, its lines were defined, and the detail in the photo on the front was overwhelming. Reaching for it, both in the past and the present, she trail her hand over the cover. "War of the Nerves," by Jonathan B. Tucker.

"I know it's a bit different than the books you usually read, but it's really good." The woman explained, "You can read it at home and tell me what you thought about it when you get back." Though it would sound cruel to most people to hear someone expecting her to get sick again instead of getting better, Haley knew this was her reality. Haley was grateful that the lady made light of it, because it made it lighter on her heart - so why did she feel queasy?

Again, Haley's head turned on its own, a smile moving to her lips. And again, Haley had a bit of a different reaction to her past double: shock. The face of the woman begun to clear up, becoming significant out of all the other nurses and doctors who were all ghosts by now. It was Ellie. Her eyes were less tired and she looked younger, but it was definitely her. In a way, that made sense with the nurse's actions and Ellie's personality, and Haley felt her shock begin to fade. Steadily, her emotions began to fit into the smile on her past self's face, almost like pulling a shirt over one's head. But the feeling in her gut got worse, spreading up to her lungs.

She could feel that she wanted to thank Ellie, even back then, but something stopped both of them and it burned like a thousand needles in her chest. It was like fire had been set to her lungs and she could feel something sloshing inside, pushing to be released. Just then, with the pain excruciating, Haley felt like her nausea had a just cause. But, for whatever reason, Haley tightened up every muscle in her body, trying to keep the liquid inside of her. No doubt, she wanted to be healthy - she didn't want to stay in that godforsaken building. But her throat was tickling violently against her wishes. Eventually, her fight was futile. She even tried saving the book in front of her by pushing it away, but she was too late. Haley released a vile cough and watched as blood splashed from her mouth, covering the book in a staining crimson before it fell to the floor. Ellie was already pressing the emergency button by this time, but screamed for help when she witnessed the horrific event.

Again, and again, and again, Haley coughed and the blood never seemed to stop - it was a wonder how she had any left. It felt like she was drowning - she couldn't breath. She could barely move as her body shook in coughs to save itself. "Haley!" Ellie kept screaming, but her voice sounded far away and hollow. She was becoming lightheaded without fresh air. White spots blurred her vision and made her head pound. Inevitably, reality was stolen away by darkness.

Haley woke with a start. Her skin was clammy and her breathing was rapid as her lungs tried desperately to make sure she could breathe again. She still couldn't move, and she couldn't sit up, but at least now she knew why: she was covered in burns. In a way, that was reassuring, rather than the alternative. It's been years since Haley's dreamed about her past from when she was a sickly child, and she felt that it was even more terrifying after living without it for so long. Over time, Haley felt her breathing return to normal, but an aching of her teeth never dissipated, having been exposed to cold air for so long. Haley tried to close her mouth properly, but her burns had pulled her lips up at an angle, revealing her right canine and premolars to anyone weird enough to crave to see them. Trying to relieve some of the pain, Haley trailed her tongue over the exposed teeth, warming them up, and it seemed to help. But with that pain gone, she was finally able to process where she was and her face paled at the actuality. If there was a difference between this room's ceiling and the hospital in Haley's dream, Haley couldn't see it. Instinctively, Haley reached for solace in the last touch she remembers: Luca's hand. But she pointlessly grasped at nothing and panicked. She sat up as fast as she could in her condition and threw her legs over the side of the bed, baring her teeth at the feeling all over her body, akin to that of skin tearing. Moving, it finally allowed the plastic tube to brush against Haley's wrist, and as quickly as she could with her trembling hands, she tore the IV from her hand and tossed it aside in panicky disgust.

She felt sick again, and when the memories came flooding back, it got worse. Haley tried swallowing it back, but, at last, she buckled over and threw up on the tiled floor, gasping for breath afterwards. The taste left on her tongue was vile - acidic and strong - but luckily the wobbling of the room was efficient at distracting her from it. If it hadn't been, she was sure she would have thrown up again.

She could remember now, how she was carried to the Jeep and brough to the city, how all the apes were advised not to follow, how the humans became hysteric at the sight of her and at the story of what happened, how they brought her to this room to take care of her, how they made her comfortable while they undressed her and shaved her the side of her head so they can work - how they told, with dread, how they can't really do anything but clean her and make the pain as minimal as possible until she healed. And they seemed to have succeeded, because, even after she moved, Haley didn't pass out from the pain. Now, she only felt like she'd rather rip off her limb than have it in this condition, which is an improvement from some time earlier. _Which begs the question: how long has it been?_ From the moment Haley was carried away, up until she passed out when they put some ointment on her and wrapped her in gauze, everything was hazy in her head, and so, she had no idea how long she's been unconscious. _Was the dam fixed already?_ Reaching up to scratch her head in frustration, Haley felt reassured that she did, indeed, remember something clearly - there were barely any hair left on her head.

Whichever case, it didn't matter, because now that she could move, however painfully, she can leave. Following her own drug-infused logic, Haley rose groggily from the bed, pulled what she thought was meant to be a white sheet out from under the duvet, and wrapped it around her twice before securing it in a knot. She had no idea how she managed it in her state with one hand, but something she tried worked and she wasn't going to complain. If she was able to pay enough attention, she'd have been impressed by the strange non-electric contraption the humans built for the IV, but now she was stuck on the sickly receiving end of the drugs and their side effects. Swaying on her feet, Haley continued forward, keeping as little weight on her burnt leg as possible, and tried staying on a straight line to the door.

It was like the first freezing hit of morning air when you open the front door - chanting, screaming, and cheers suddenly slapped against Haley's ears. Haley was sure the room she was in wasn't soundproof, but one could easily be fooled.

"They're monsters!" She heard one voice above the other dozens while she pushed herself to move down the halls towards it, using the walls for support, "Look what they did to the girl!"

"It was one ape!" Another person screamed, "They're searching for him-"

"We should have gotten rid of them all a long time ago!"

"They're going to do this to all of us!"

"With what!?"

"We should prepare ourselves for an assault!"

"They're just a bunch of savage animals after all!"

Haley heard more than she wanted to hear, but the more her blood boiled, the more frustrating her situation became, because she couldn't move fast enough to make it end sooner. It felt like she had to listen to them for hours before she finally reached what looked like the top of a fire escape. With all the rubble around it, she couldn't be sure, but just a single level below her, there stood a man with greying dark brown hair and glasses. Haley found it strange how people still felt they needed glasses in these times and wondered if she might need some one day, but that was not the strangest thing that she saw. Gathered like a crowd of militia, people of all ages and genders peered up at the man, shouting whatever they thought, and he didn't do anything to stop them - he didn't even twitch. It didn't seem to matter that he was perfectly capable with the working bullhorn in his hand. But then, thankfully or not, one person noticed Haley, and then another, and then another, and eventually, the room begun to quiet, falling silent once the leader, _Haley assumed_ , also turned and gaped at her. Unlike the bewilderment on the others', he appeared more afraid of her early rise.

"The apes," Haley spoke, but her voice came out lispy and unclear. Just then, she realized that her lips being pulled so strangely will change her speaking, too. So she slowed her words down and spoke with exaggeration, hoping to achieve some clarity, "The apes aren't 'savage animals,' they are my friends. They've never hurt me!"

And the uproar continued.

"They do that to anyone, even their friends!"

"Look at her body - she's covered old scars, too!"

"She's lying to protect them!"

Haley found the last one more amusing than all the other ridiculous statements, because, if they were really hurting her so much, why would she lie to protect them?

But unfortunately, the conversation seemed to end there.

"What are you doing up in your condition?" Came Ellie's frantic voice when she suddenly appeared out of nowhere, her face alert as she motioned Haley back a few steps. Haley's dream came back for a moment and she felt Ellie's concern warm her heart, but she knew she had to focus or else this will only escalate. Or maybe she wasn't as clear headed as she was convincing herself she was and she only wanted to know what the hell was going on.

"Why aren't you stopping this!?" Haley snapped the best she could, "Why are you here!? Where's Malcolm!? Where are the others!? You should be helping with the dam and getting everyone the hell away from our village!" If they stayed there any longer, Haley knew Koba was only going to get worse - he was losing it already. But Ellie wasn't paying attention and simply used her better physical state to practically force Haley back down the halls.

"The dam should be fixed in a few hours. Malcolm and the others are taking care of it." She said calmly, "And don't worry, I'm handling things here, too."

 _Too vague_ , Haley thought. "That's what you call handling it!?" She yelled again, but it was something else that drove her this time. She was starting to notice the pain and feeling of her wounds coming back and it was becoming increasingly hard to move, increasing her irritation. As a result, she was about to ask Ellie if they can stop, but there was no point. Without warning, Haley felt her body suddenly getting thrown to the floor with a thud, making her skin throb with a loud boom in her ears. Ahead, she glimpsed Ellie getting thrown, too, and unwillingly heard the empty crack when she collided with the wall and then she fell to the floor, unmoving. _No_ , Haley thought, _that's not possible_.

It was anticlimactic - no yelp, no plea for help, no dramatic song in the background. Just a vocal break and she was gone. It was almost insulting how exaggerated death was put forward by humans, compared to the truth.

"Ellie?" Haley breathed - no response. "Ellie!" She yelled - no response. She tried pushing herself up to crawl closer, but by this point, the pain was, again, too much for her to move. "Ellie!" She screamed, unbothered by the taste of iron as the burn on her lip tore. And that was the last chance she got. Without warning, a weight crashed into Haley's side, making her flip over and skid over the floor without a say. Immediately, Haley thought she was hallucinating - maybe she was still having a nightmare - but when the figure leapt for her and straddled her body, there was no mistaking it. Two powerful, furry hands clasped around Haley's neck while one milky eye cut into her vision like the sharpest blade in all the cosmos - Koba. His canines were bare and his eyes were frantic - he looked even more insane than Haley remembered. Or maybe he just finally snapped.

"Koba?" Haley croaked his name in shock, forcing a bit of sound pass his choking hold, but that was all she could muster. Just like in her dream, Haley quickly felt herself becoming light headed as she drowned without water. Again, her eyes began to burn and white spots decorated the world. Maybe it was this lack of clarity that blurred her pain away, but the burns on her skin soon stopped mattering - this time, Haley couldn't allow herself to submit. It was either fight or die - life or death. There was no, 'sit back and survive' - no, not this time.

So, with all the strength she could muster, Haley swung her fist up at Koba's head and felt great satisfaction when he yelped at the contact and fell off of her waist. With the chance, she quickly reached for whatever was close and was gifted with a piece of rebar, concrete still stuck to it. Sometimes, a broken building wasn't such a bad thing after all. Haley rose and swung the makeshift weapon at Koba as soon as she could and as hard as she could - hard enough that the rebar actually tore from her hand, and she didn't waste time to see that he was charging at her. Haley always thought Koba was a hardhead, and she was proven right when the old concrete shattered against his skull and sent him colliding with the wall, just like Ellie had. But, to Haley's dismay, his body was stronger and he somehow stayed on his feet. Still, remembering what he had done, Haley's veins burned with anger. She charged at him, no time to hear human footsteps starting to charge closer their way.

But Haley couldn't get close enough. She could barely take a step before a loud screech sounded and an ape's arms suddenly hooking around her neck, choking her yet again. She jabbed at the faceless ape's ribs with her elbow, but he wouldn't let go. Soon, Koba was getting ready again, clutching his bleeding face while he tried balancing himself on his unsteady legs. It took time, but he was soon strong enough to step closer, and Haley could hear his heavy, furious breaths as he got ready to land another blow. Desperate to survive, Haley pushed through her faltering consciousness and kicked against Koba with all her might before he had the chance, also using the leverage to send her and the second ape falling back. Crushed under Haley's weight, the ape finally loosened his grasp and Haley pushed free, but only basked in her freedom by gasping for breath on the floor next to him. Now uncaged, Haley looked back to see who was helping Koba, but she wondered why she ever bothered - she should have known it was Grey.

Seeing them getting back up, Haley's panic reappeared and she rose and ran with all the strength she had left - she knew she couldn't defeat both of them. Not in her state, not without her weapon.

But then, just as she passed the corner and thought she was going to get away, the world flashed white with a loud pop. Haley felt a pain shoot through her body that was unlike any other she's known before, and she fell right back down to the floor. She panted heavily, holding her bleeding shoulder, and turned, but only to flinch back in fear. There, already just a few inches from the rip of her nose, the barrel of a gun burned hot with the shot it had just taken. Koba sneered down at Haley behind the old rifle, and for a moment, she thought it was all over - she thought he was actually going to shoot her square between the eyes - but then the humans grew close enough to interrupt and he growled. It was a blur when haley was hit with the back of the gun and was sent falling back, and with her loss of blood, she couldn't even brace her fall and just trembled where she lay. Seconds later, Koba loomed back over her.

She watched, her adrenaline diminished, as Koba bent down and tore a bundle of her hair from her scalp, making her cry out weakly. And then, even worse, she felt her hand get slapped away from her new wound before he pressed her hair harshly onto the bullet hole, wiggling some of it inside with one of his fingers. Haley writhed, whimpered, and cried wordlessly for it to end, but she saw no reaction from Koba. Neither could she see Grey's face contort at the sound of her voice and look away with guilt slowly setting in. Finally, Koba backed away and remained perfectly silent as he clambered onto the window sill with Grey, one bloody blonde dreadlock in his hand. Exactly like that, the two of them stayed for a while, listening for something. Haley didn't know what they were waiting for, maybe too tired to think clearly, but after more gunshots were exchanged and after she heard a hazy, "Holy shit, they have guns," Koba left by climbing up the building's exterior. And after giving Haley a significant look, so did Grey, but only moments before Haley blacked out.

She never was able to read that book.

 **I already started writing the next chapter for WT, so that should be done next week! ^^ Also, do remember, if you want, go check out my YouTube channel: Geeky Fanatic. I definitely recommend it if you like Transformers Prime.**

 **And please don't forget to leave a comment if you feel like you want to! ^^ Anything is welcome!**

 **Oh! And a special thanks to Mauryn, everyone! I wouldn't have been able to upload today if she didn't help out!**


	8. A Village In The Balance

It was unlike Caesar to ever get angry, let alone lose control of it. If he ever fought, it was to protect his position in the troop, or to protect the troop itself. In all his years, Caesar could only recall three times when he's ever lost his temper and the experience has never been pleasant. It was like a festering fire burning in his heart - painful and unreachable, and uncontrollable as a result. It creates an itch to his canines that craved to be settled by a bite, whether it be a bite of something or someone. The first time when Caesar had lost control of this fury was when he saw his grandfather being threatened by their neighbor. He was willing to do anything to protect him, and he did - in a moment of impulse, he bit and ripped the man's finger from his hand. The second time was when the humans had brought a gun with them when he clearly told them not to. Because of their betrayal, he nearly lost his youngest son. The scare was enough for him to feel the same rage inside him build. That time, though, he didn't attack. He had managed to feign a calm. It was very close, however. Come to think of it, every time he's felt such an anger was when someone he cared about was being threatened.

The third time was fairly recent, and unlike other times, the person he wanted to protect did get hurt: Haley. The fury that bubbled in him was stronger than any before, and although he was telling himself he hated it, he was telling himself at the same time that he wanted to rip Koba's throat out. It had been Koba, his brother, who had hurt Haley and who had, consequently, forced Caesar to send his oldest friend back to the human village against her will. And even then, only with the slightest chance that she'd get better treatment. Coincidentally, none of the other council members seemed to react much differently. Immediately after hearing the news, almost everyone was sent searching for Koba. Whether it was to return the favor or bring him to Caesar, Caesar had the sinking feeling that it was the first. As furious as Caesar was, he couldn't help but remember, 'Ape not kill ape.'

But then, when Koba skulked back into the village like nothing had happened, Caesar felt his resolve waver and could definitely understand the drive behind Rocket's search. The balding ape considered Haley as family and he didn't care to hide it by how he visibly craved to kill Koba.

With a searing glower, Caesar watched Koba collapse to his knees in front of him, his head low. But soon enough, the mannerism that Koba carried himself with stole Caesar's attention and forced his glare to fade. Something about the exchange was slowly replacing his anger with dread. But Caesar didn't say anything - he was waiting for Koba to have the first word, so he could hear and judge what the bonobo deemed appropriate for the situation. And there was also a part of him that still wanted to believe that Koba regretted what he had done, that it had been an accident, even if he did run. Clearly, Rocket and Luca weren't too happy about this: Caesar could see both of them practically vibrating with all the strength they were using not to pummeling Koba right then and there. They were furious, yes, but they valued Caesar's decisions above even their own. Caesar always treasured their loyalty. But something was still amiss.

"Accident," Koba finally grunted, still not raising his head, "Did not mean to hurt mate." A long silence followed - Caesar couldn't seem to bring himself to say anything. Then, Koba shifted and revealed his hand with something in its palm. It looked like a crimson worm - like to colorful hairy ones that Will used to show him - but he knew that wouldn't be the case. The king was hesitant, his lips thinning with a soft grunt, but eventually, he had to reach out and take what was offered to him. He wanted to take a closer look and make sure what it was, but as soon as his face came a hand's distance from the bloody blonde hair, he regretted it. "Went to see her." Koba said, but Caesar wasn't listening. Frozen, he stared at the familiar hair in his palm in a mixture of disgust and horror. Finally, confused, the other council members came up behind Caesar, and their reactions weren't much different. Maurice flinched under the feeling of his giant heart being physically torn - _was such a thing even possible?_ If he wasn't distracted, he would have worried that it was permanent _._ Rocket immediately stumbled back, his legs not as trustworthy as they seemed to have fooled him into being, but luckily, Ash was close and quickly caught him, also frantically signing to ask his father what was going on. Luca, however…

The giant gorilla didn't move. He stared at Haley's stained hair in dead silence. It felt as if his body couldn't decide how it wanted to react. Everything inside of him hurt. He feared he'd explode.

Realizing the council might not have properly picked up on his words, Koba repeated aloud again, "Went to see Haley." This time, Caesar's gaze fell on him and he lowered himself more to show submission. "Humans…" He signed slowly, now that he knew he will be understood, "Kill Haley." And by the looks of Koba, he barely got away from the human village, but he didn't mention it. Every single ape that was watching the exchange fell dead silent, watching their king's eyes widen.

'What?' Caesar thought, and strangely, he also wondered, 'How?'

Again, he felt that anger rise inside of him. _Did the humans really kill her? Why? She was no danger to them. Was it just because she was working with the apes? Did they think she was carrying the sickness from so many years ago?_ None of these answers seem to matter while his hand closed around the piece of hair, the blood squelching under his strength. He knew what humans were capable of. They kill for no reason most of the time, so his questions didn't make sense. But the worst was the fact that he knew this beforehand and still sent her to the city. Suddenly, his building anger grew faster from the push of guilt. _What had he done?_

"Is this about Haley? Did you get news?"

The mood instantly changed when Malcolm's voice came from down the slope of the village, like the spark to a raging fire. Caesar's grasp tightened painfully around Haley's hair and kept him somewhat steady when he faced the hairless man. His ape skin was wrinkled deep from the strain of his regrown glower. Despite knowing Malcolm had no part in any of this, seeing the man pale under his towering frame was satisfying. He took a deep breath and puffed the air out silently. "Haley," Caesar grunted, his voice deeper and more painful than he remembered his first words were, "Dead." Luckily for Malcolm, the open jolt his body gave and the horror he showed from the news made the observing apes calm down - for the moment, at least.

"Haley…" Malcolm breathed, too much in shock to hear the other humans approaching the crowd behind him. But suddenly, something clicked in him and he broke free from his statue-like state. "What about Ellie!?" He yelled, rushing closer to the inner circle of the discussion, "Where is she!? No, she wouldn't have let this happen!"

Caesar wasn't insulted by Malcolm worrying about Ellie at that moment - he understood it - but Malcolm should have know that not everyone would take the outburst so lightly. Only because of how predictable the retaliation was, a few apes were in time to catch Koba before he could reach Malcolm in his charge. But they wouldn't have succeeded if Koba hadn't reminded himself that he shouldn't go against Caesar right now. "Dead!" He barked instead, his word barely discernible from his bared canines, "Defend ape! Both defend ape!" If only Alex had stayed wherever he had been. Koba's words immediately nauseated the young man - he couldn't breathe. _He couldn't lose another mother_.

"Humans kill Koba mate!" Koba continued to bark, his breathing quick, unsteady, and transparent to the craze behind it. Abruptly, he yanked free from the one ape still holding him and circled to address everyone, "Kill own kind to stop ape! Kill one of family!" He turned back to Caesar again and paused, as if challenging the ape to deny what he was saying.

"They… ask... war." He drawled lower, but still everyone seemed to hear him, because they immediately broke into an uproar of screeches and hoots. Normally, Caesar would have hated the sound, but it seemed to mix perfectly with the strange burning inside of him, and for some reason, that made him doubt if he'd ever be able to calm down what was growing inside of them all. Once again, he looked down towards the hair of his dead friend and then back towards Koba. He wanted nothing more than to believe that Koba was lying and doing all this to get his way, but seeing his chest and shoulders rise and fall rapidly, Caesar didn't see any proof to keep his hope alive. Caesar only needed to see one of Koba's eyes to see something had changed in the bonobo - something had died.

Rapidly, Caesar felt that rage in him grow again, and this time, it was thanks to a fear for his entire troop. The humans had killed Haley, and even Ellie - this was no longer something he can avoid. His people were in danger. And so, despite feeling a telepathic plea from the orangutan behind him to reconsider, Caesar tossed the blonde lock aside and rose his head. Strangely enough, despite Maurice's usually show in favor of peace, Caesar could sense that even his determination was half-hearted this time. He, too, had grown as attached to Haley was Rocket had - even more so. To him, it probably felt like losing a daughter.

"Women and children stay in village." Caesar spoke fiercely, looking around, "Men will fight," he paused, "but only to warn."

* * *

Sorry, I know this one is pretty short, especially after how long you guys had to wait (and I can't really say quality makes up for it), but keep in mind that this was physically painful to write. I hate hurting my babies.

Ugh, who am I kidding? That's all I seem to do. You know, for someone who hates reading and watching drama, I sure as heck write a lot of it...


	9. War

When Haley woke up a second time, she felt even worse. Every muscle, every bone, every joint - her body screamed for her not to move. Consequently, she woke quickly and with a full awareness of what happened before she blacked out. The pounding in her shoulder was all she needed to remember that Koba, her mate, had come to kill her and had shot her with one of the human weapons. Along with the pain, she felt a tightness wrapped around the area, which filled her with an unease when she saw not a single person looming over her to finish bandaging her up. Studying the patch up, the material was still lose, and the rest of the roll dangled over the side of the bed. Haley, for the life of her, could not think what stopped them, but with operation tools still full of blood on the bedside table and a needleless IV abandoned beside the bed, she knew it had to have been something urgent. Haley's loathing of doctors ran deep, so she didn't exactly mind them not being there, but as every inch of her frame vibrated with pain, she really wished they would have, at least, doused her with painkillers. _Doctors_ \- unexpectedly, Haley felt her mind turning a mile a minute again, her eyes growing wide as the memory of a loud crack rang in her ears. Ellie.

If the crack hadn't been a memory, Haley likely wouldn't have been able to hear it over the incessant ringing and screaming in her ears, and as the sound seemed to grow louder, it was a wonder how she could even think. However, she couldn't be bothered about the annoying sound as worry swelled inside of her. One of the last things that she remembers seeing was the sight of Ellie's small figure crashing against the wall before not moving at all.

 _What happened to her? Was she alright? Did she survive?_ \- Haley's mind whirred with these questions as she slowly forced her body back up, biting into her cheek to try and distract her nerves from their protests. Blood thundered under the skin where Koba had budded her temple with the back of the gun and she did her best to ignore it when she moved her legs over the side of the withered mattress. Stiffly, she searched her surroundings. She looked for any sign or clue that Ellie had been there, tending to her wounds, but she couldn't find anything. She looked and looked and looked, but fear only festered.

Soon enough, with the pain, the pounding in her head, the lack of hope, and the loud noises in her ears, unbearable frustration begun to boil in Haley to the point where she couldn't help but snap.

"Damn it," Haley cursed, jiggling her pinky in her ear, "I'm trying to think."

With everything jumbled together, it felt as if her own body was against her having at least one shred of good news, and when Haley noticed that the crashes and yells of chaos weren't going away, the dread grew heavier inside of her. She was starting to realize the truth and she wished she hadn't. Desperate for it to work now, Haley tilted her head, hissing from compressing her burns in the crook of her neck, and hit herself upside the head, as if expecting the sound to fall out of her ear. Of course, it didn't. If anything, trying to clear up her ears, the roaring got worse. Unwillingly, Haley accepted the sound wasn't in her head at all. It had to have been real, she knew and felt her dark brown eyes shift to the exit at the other end of the room.

Haley barely registered the pain as she creaked to her feet and tied another white sheet around her chest. With all her focus and eyes glued to the doorknob, she slowly limped towards the door in complete silence. The exit loomed like the gates to hell, and yet she approached it willingly, and eventually, held its handle in her small hand.

It was completely different to when she opened the door before; the waft of outside air that hit her body was hot and filthy and smelled sickeningly of iron. The air itself seemed lit in an orange glow, flickering in the cornea of Haley's brown eyes. It was like fire itself was nipping at her skin in contrast to the freezing medical room behind her, and as if they had been frozen by the cold, Haley felt the warmth jolt pain back to every one of her nerve. She quickly locked her burnt arm to her side as a reflex, and just in time before she was thrown back by a fierce blow. Haley only realized she had been holding her breath when the wind was knocked out of her by an explosion down the hall, sending her crashing back onto the tiled floor as echoing screams echoed through the building. For a moment, it was like she had woken from another sleep, with the world spinning and her ears ringing, but she knew better thanks to the chilling voices cutting through the deafening noise.

Coughing oxygen back into her lungs, Haley slowly rose onto her one arm, momentarily grateful that Koba shot her in her already-burnt shoulder instead of leaving her completely immobile. But when her eyes fell on the figure in the doorway, the grateful swell inside of her deflated with a nauseating drop. Bright blood stained his dark grey fur and framed his dead, empty stare, his body laying perfectly still on the scorched floor. He was battered and scarred from head to toe, and the wounds were stretched painfully by the strap of a gun that was wrapped around his chest. Seeing the vile weapon stick out under him, making him lay at an uncomfortable angle, Haley wished that she was actually still dreaming, but life wasn't as kind.

The sight was so unnatural that Haley was sure she wouldn't have recognized the ape if it hadn't been for the birthmark labeling his upper lip and brow with nude speckles. "Ash," Haley whispered, as if worried the people who set off the bomb would hear her, but she got no response anyway. Panicking, she forced her own aching body back to life and commanded it to crawl, but in her stroke of impulse, her weight shifted onto her bleeding shoulder and raw arm and sent her crashing back down with a pitched yelp.

"Ash," she repeated in a desperate growl, this time just to get her body moving again, and pulled her way across the floor with her elbow. The closer she got to Ash, the larger his wounds seemed to become and the more haunting his empty gaze grew. Not risking gentleness, Haley gave him a rough shove to his shoulder as soon as she could react, just to get him to respond, but he didn't.

"Come on, you giant lug," she growled again, lifting herself back off the floor more carefully to loom over her friend. She patted his face, but again, no reaction. Steadily, Haley's hope began to fade, thought she kept repeating, "He can't be dead" under her shaking breath to convince herself otherwise.

But then, in a single twitch, Haley felt her heart soar. Her brown eyes snapped down to the blood-covered chest in front of her and watched it rise and fall briefly, every lift and fall diminishing her panic. His breathing was weak and uneven, but he was, indeed, breathing. Yet, he still didn't move.

"Ash?" Haley called more carefully again, her voice barely heard over the ruckus outside, but again, she got nothing. Once more, frustration bubbled inside of her. She couldn't see any other option - CPR would do nothing for him, and neither would patching his wounds. He was terrified, and Haley could not blame him. Finally clearheaded, she saw the slight tremble in him and could hear the distinct sound of bombs and popping guns outside - he was petrified at the sight of man's true power. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get rid of the growing burn in them. This, whatever was going on, the apes should not have been put through it - none of it. It was unjust and cruel, as people who wanted nothing but to live in peace. Haley tightened her firsts in anger; somehow, she already knew how all this happened, making the wound in her shoulder thunder with the memory of how Koba had pushed her own hair inside. "Ash!" Haley snapped under the increased anger and finally slapped the poor ape back to reality, making him shoot up in alarm and hoot around furiously in bewilderment. Until his attention froze on the young woman next to him and he fell perfectly quiet.

"Oh thank God," Haley sighed in relief and slouched as a giant weight lifted off of her, not noticing the ape's look of disbelief.

Ash, however, inched forward with a breathy gibber, trying to make her look at him again. He wasn't sure if he was trying to get her attention or if he simply wanted to study her face again, to make sure it was truly his friend who had been confirmed dead when the sun was only slightly higher in the sky. She had been dead earlier - he was sure of it - the elders had said so. Blue Eyes and him had started grieving, even if it was interrupted with battle soon after. _Maybe it wasn't her after all_ , he thought as his eyes fell of the misshapen side of her face, the skin dark and pulled like the bark of a tree. But, of course, Ash wasn't a fool and knew she was there, right there, sitting in front of him. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to sign and ask how that was even possible, because the mere attempt to do so made the raw skin on his arms sting beneath his singed fur. He almost forgot what had happened. He was after a human earlier. He could feel that something was wrong, but didn't want to go back to face Koba - and when he opened the strange human entrance, fire spread with a force that he could not understand. It was like the sun itself roared with fury. Ash had always thought the sun was beautiful, but maybe he was wrong.

" _No move._ " Haley signed hastily, interrupting his rambling thoughts, but Ash wasn't sure if he understood her right. It seemed like their bark-like exterior kept Haley's fingers from moving separately, and seeing them stuck in position made Ash's middle feel strange, like drinking cold water on an empty stomach. " _Gun,"_ She signed again, but this time, without asking anything, she leaned over and carefully pulled the strap from around his chest before moving it around her own, "Stay and heal."

Ash didn't protest: he wanted nothing more than to get rid of the unexpectedly heavy human weapon, but when he realized her intentions, he reached to take it back. He didn't have the chance and only grabbed a breeze. Slow and weak from the earlier blow, Ash could do nothing but grunt and screech for Haley to stay there while she pulled herself up by the door frame and wobbled her way down the hall, supporting her weight against the wall. She wasn't dead, like he had thought, but soon, she might be.

Haley could feel her heart pounding in her throat with every painful step that she took. She knew this was not the best idea, but she had to see what was going on - she needed to go help. She needs to find Luca, Rocket, Maurice - Caesar. Haley felt her heart stop at the idea of finding her old friend's body, bleeding out from a wound caused by her own species. "Please, no," She pled pointlessly and hurried on her way, leaning more and more against the wall as the incessant swaying of the world became worse. Slowly but surely, as adrenaline drained from her once more, Haley found the world blur in response to the growing torture across her skin. Her joints grew stiff and heavy. All she could do was focus on the terrifying screams and screeches down the last hall, hoping it wouldn't lead her astray. Both thankfully and regrettably, it didn't.

Haley only noticed that daytime had passed when she flinched away from the bright glow of fire outside and the blinding pops of white from dozens of guns. It was like the doorway was a portal to an entirely different realm, with the building tinted a light blue of sorts inside, as opposed to the blood-stained battle ahead. Haley's horrified, wide eyes moved from one face to the other in the chaos quickly and could barely make out which was human and which was ape, with each face covered in blood and mud. It had to have been a nightmare - there was no way such a gruesome sight could form so unexpectedly. _It couldn't be real_ , she tried convincing herself, but still she craved to stop it. To break the species way from each other and stop them from this foolish danger. She couldn't take it, but she couldn't tear her eyes away either. "Stop!" She finally yelled despite the burnt corner of her lips and threw herself outside, knowing her shaky legs would betray her otherwise.

But she was barely able to make it two feet before another explosion erupted directly in front of her and sent her stumbling back. She was about to block her face from the fire when she noticed there was none.

Haley barely saw the army tank in her double vision before its main gun shifted directly on her with a metallic whir and she bolted back inside the building, just in time for another hole to form in the sidewalk where she had stood. Haley was about to curse the humans for firing at her, but as soon as she heard the angry screeches of a couple of apes, she changed her plan. Instead, she quickly tore the gun from her body and tossed it aside, barely hissing when her shoulder protested. She'd rather go through a bit of pain than have apes mistake her for the other side again - she won't get lucky twice. She could feel herself slowly becoming weaker, urging her to stay rested against the wall for longer. Nevertheless, using her last bit of effort, she ignored the temptation and rather lowered down the stairs outside and scraped a pool of dirt from the sidewalk to smear it across the one side of her face and across her chest and arm, hiding her pale skin the best she could.

Clawing at the side of the building, Haley hoisted herself back up and continued down the street, keeping to the shadows. She had no idea who she was looking for or what she was expecting, but with every flinch and duck she gave in the face or sound of danger, the less likely it seemed that she'd be able to make anyone out of the chaos. And as the pointless journey continued on, her body grew weaker, her legs heavier, and her consciousness harder to maintain pass her pulsating burns. "Please," She begged and coughed lightly at the scratching in her throat, but soon enough, she was jerked back. Despite feeling her heart stop at the hint of danger, her head turned without hurry to see what had pulled her back. Seeing the roll of bandages caught on a bush, Haley wondered how it didn't get caught sooner, but she didn't dwell on the thought and carefully reached back to pull it free. With each frail pull, she felt her strength drop, but even then, it wouldn't come loose.

She wanted to go back and get it unstuck, but her own body wouldn't listen, making her simply whimper in disdain before slumping against the brick fence next to her. It was almost insulting, how the battle carried on beside her while she felt herself becoming worse by the second, as if she didn't even exist. Everything hurt - it was awful, but the world didn't care. It had no reason to. Then again, the world must have stopped caring a long time ago, as it drowned under the blood of many. Being run by humans for so long, Haley couldn't blame the world for abandoning them. Haley chuckled softly, seeing the planet running away in front of her and leaving humanity right where they were, allowing them to fall through space like those old cartoons her sister enjoyed so much. Haley felt her mind growing fuzzy again.

As if he sensed her vulnerability, one ape finally saw Haley's figure skulking in the dark and growled as he hoisted his weapon atop his shoulder. He had been watching the battle from the sidelines, horror-struck at what had become of the village's "warning," but even an ape can only avoid the violence for so long.

Haley's mouth grew drier than the Gobi desert itself when her little hallucination was clouded over by a large silhouette and swallowed to get rid of the terrified lump in her throat, but it didn't work. She painted her face in filth and earth and she hid herself from the fire's light the best that she could, but even if she knew that was plenty and all she was able to do, she silently wished she had done better to camouflage herself. Never has she felt as terrified by the sight of two giant ape feet as when they stepped into her line of sight. And when she heard the lock of a gun, the terror grew worse. Carefully, as if not to startle her enemy into killing her sooner, she rose her head to look him in the eye, _but there really was no point_ , she realized as she stared up at nothing but a blurred blob and the clear barrel of a rifle between her eyes. For a moment, the memory of Koba aiming a gun at her flashed in front of her eyes, but this was not then. Without known cause or explanation, the dark circle of death lowered from her face to floor by her feet with a distinct tremble, leaving her to stare at the blurred shape in bewilderment. She could see the ape move and gibber hesitantly, clearly trying to say or gesture something, but Haley's eyes only narrowed and she kept still, not daring to move. Her entire figure was petrified with worry - she was almost killed by apes a few hours ago, so she was justifiably jumpy.

Somehow, the atmosphere felt strange and grew terrifyingly calm compared to the destruction a few steps away, but maybe that was why Haley jolted in alarm when the ape's large hand wrapped around her unharmed shoulder, its weight nearly making her legs give out. Haley wanted to slip away, the memory of Koba's attack growing clearer and more powerful, but she couldn't risk a run. Not in her state - she'd probably just collapse. And as his other palm blocked her vision, she strangely felt no need to move away. Haley stood motionless as the giant, rubbery hand rubbed against her face and felt as if it was not just rubbing the dirt away, but her fear, too. She was starting to understand the gorilla's behavior, and when he pulled his hand away and leaned closer to clarify what he was seeing, all her fear vanished. "Luca!" She gasped in bliss, the sound of her voice apparently making the large gorilla rear back and drop his gun in shock. The distraught wrinkles littering his face and his wide green eyes was all she needed to see to feel assurance squish whatever anguish still lurked inside of her. He was no danger to her, he was glad she was alive. Just his presence was a flood of unexpected hope - maybe that was why he was leader of the gorilla guard.

Luca's hand burned where the rifle used to touch his thick skin - _he had almost shot Haley_. He had the chance to shoot Haley. Haley was standing in front of him. Haley was alive. The tightness that has been clawing deep inside of Luca's chest since he heard she was dead grew even more severe, but it was different now - it wasn't unbearable. The pain was almost pleasant, like when the women would pour liquid over his cuts or burns. _Haley is alive_ , he repeated, watching the hairless woman with keen, focused eyes. When he had recognized the shape of the human - he watched Haley enough to know it - he was afraid he was wrong and cleaned her face to be sure, but now he was just afraid to look away, scared she was an illusion all-together. When he heard Haley was dead, the world grew blurry and strange and Luca thought he might be sick, so hallucinating wouldn't be so strange. Rocket ate odd fruit from the forest once and he was talking about seeing unfamiliar faces all around him for the whole day. Had he eaten some odd fruit? With a heavy throat at the thought of this all being fake, Luca hooted at Haley again, limping forward on his hind legs.

Haley's heart hurt, seeing the disbelief on Luca's face and the hesitant joy lurking below, knowing what Koba must have done, but she was too happy to see Luca to dwell. In a small yelp, Haley's theory of not being able to move was confirmed as she tried moving closer to Luca but simply collapsed against him instead. He was barely in time to catch her, but he did - that was all that mattered to Haley when her body was swallowed up by a blissful cold. Haley had no idea how Luca managed it, but his fur always seemed to be the perfect temperate, and she's never been more grateful than when his arms gingerly wrapped around her and froze some of her aching nerves. She wanted to give him a giant hug in thanks, but her hands simply twitched at her sides.

'Of course he would be the one to see me in the chaos - he's always watching over me.' Haley thought with a faint chuckle and felt her heart swell with warmth that was like lava compared to his touch. But, as soon as she realized what she said, Haley stiffened and blinked - _he what?_

"Luca," A familiar grunt interrupted, forcing Haley's head to maneuver to the other side, though she didn't get off of the cool chest below her. _He smells like bark and rain_ , Haley thought despite everything and steadily felt some of the strength returning to her body. "What happened?" Caesar continued in sign, his face contorted in a disgusted frown, but still he didn't seem to notice Haley's presence peeking out from behind Luca's thick arm, "Where Koba?" Haley's body gave a chill at the name like it's never done before. Whatever she felt for Koba, Haley was starting to realize it was morphing into nothing but true terror.

Luca huffed very softly, like he was trying to allow Haley to sleep, and threw a single arm up at the skyscraper across the street, where dozens of other apes were collecting and climbing. The dark crinkles on Caesar's face grew more pronounced as he turned to gaze back out onto the diminishing crowd, seeing the apes climbing up the side of the building and watch a single black spot in the lead. None of this was what Caesar wanted. This killing was not what he started, nor did he supply the troop with guns, even if it gave them an advantage, but he had a hunch who did. Caesar felt his blood boil and bared his canines in an angry growl. Koba might be grieving his mate - as everyone was - but this was not-

Abruptly, the white shape against Luca's chest processed and made Caesar's glower fall before he snapped his head back to the shape. There she was, watching him in complete silence and with half-lidded, tired eyes. For just a moment, Caesar thought that maybe Luca was carrying around Haley's corpse, but he knew better as soon as those all-too-familiar brown orbs moved to follow his movements. "Haley," He grunted out hoarsely, and predictably, Maurice practically materialized next to him, carrying himself over to Haley as quickly as he could for an orangutan on the ground. Despite Maurice pushing pass Caesar and prodding Haley to make sure she was real, the ape king never broke his eyes away from her own. He, too, seemed to think she was going to disappear. _How was this possible?_ She was alive - the humans must have been careless and failed to kill her. He barely registered the bandage on her shoulder to know that they, in fact, tried doing the opposite. Nothing made sense, but a single, significant look of sorrow swept the clouds from Caesar mind. The knowing look on Haley's face said everything that Caesar needed to know, as if she spoke the truth to him in hand speech.

Koba - it was Koba - this was all Koba. Somehow, this clarified more than just how Haley was alive. Now, the state of the war had a cause as well.

Suddenly, rage exploded inside of Caesar to an extent that he's never felt before. Koba's not only tricked the entire troop, but him, too, by means of faking the death of his oldest friend. And, by studying Haley from her bleeding forehead to her bruised skin, he knew Koba was trying to make her death a reality. Without saying anything, Caesar threw his body around and sped after Koba.

"Caesar!" Haley screamed as loud as she could when she realized what she had done, but by that time, he was already reaching the second story of the building, "Come back!"

Maurice gibbered in a rush to grab her attention, but Haley didn't have to see him sign to know what his apologetic look was for. "Yes, go!" She barked, panicked, "Go, I'll be fine!" She caught Rocket approaching with a look of shock that was comical by this point, "Get Rocket and stop him - calm him." Haley didn't care if Caesar attacked Koba: only, she didn't want him to act rash. She, of all people, knew how dangerous that is. The orangutan nodded and rushed off. Haley felt her heart hammering furiously by the time she saw them moving up the side of the structure, already seeing the other reaching it's top with Caesar close behind. Haley was happy for Rocket and Maurice that the building was under construction and shorter, making it easier to climb, but seeing Caesar climb with the same fury, her happiness dulled. Thanks to the height, Haley couldn't be sure anymore if it was her friend or not, but seeing something move over the top, she held her breath in fear of an immediate crash or boom - she should have known it wouldn't.

The wait was agonizing, only growing worse as the street grew quieter and quieter. Haley could almost hear the commotion atop the building from how quiet it had gotten, but every time she thought she truly heard something, she found it was nothing but sizzling wood or a rustling bush. Sure enough, Haley was starting to feel her agonizing fear return when light begun to return to the sky in a purplish hue. Feeling Luca's arm tighten around her, she knew she wasn't the only one who was growing impatient. It was excruciating to just stand there, wondering what was happening - it was like fate was trying to replace her fading pain with something deeper. Because of this, Haley still couldn't bring herself to release Luca where her hands eventually found themselves clutching the tussles of fur on his stomach, but she knew she had to. She was sure she could stand now, and forcing him to stay there was just cruel. Thus, she rose her head to see him watching the building with great dread and opened her mouth to usher him away, but as a terrifying shake erupted across the city, Haley was stopped.

Both Luca and Haley stumbled as the ground shook beneath their feet in a deafening boom.

"What's going on!?" Haley yelled instinctively, retightening her grip on the silverback to keep herself composed. Her support didn't last long, however, when Luca fell from his unnatural upright pose and crashed onto his front knuckles, forcing Haley to let go. Luca might have been embarrassed by how unstable he was - walls aren't supposed to fall so easily, let alone in front of those they were supposed to impress - but the location of the echoing sound quickly dawned on them both and stole their focus back to the skyscraper in terrified awe. Haley barely had time to take in the building before another explosion erupted underground and she felt a scream of horror leave her lips, seeing the building finally start to crumble on its half-built frame and its enormous size start to fall apart. Haley and Luca stepped back on instinct, their hearts beating quicker with each passing second that the building seemed to grow larger. They stood in their spots for a while, apparently unable to process what was happening, but finally, Haley shot up in attention - Luca wouldn't be able to comprehend what was happening. She barely could.

"Move!" She screamed suddenly, shoving Luca on his shoulder to get him to move farther down the street from the battle's old destruction, "Move, Luca, move!" For a long moment, it looked like Luca was too petrified, like Ash had been, but eventually, her desperate demands rang clear and he did as told, running on his four arms as fast as he could. Haley immediately followed, feeling the bandage tear free of the bush with insulting ease. All too soon, she could see them being enveloped by a shadow as the building fell towards them, but she did her best to ignore it and just keep running as fast as she could on her aching legs. That is, until finally-

"Ash!" Haley gasped suddenly and stopped, spinning back around. She nearly gagged at the sight of the old makeshift hospital being swallow by the same shadow as them. Just a few steps away, Luca was barking to get her to keep moving, but the sound was nothing but a haze as panic fueled Haley's muscles. She just couldn't bring herself to keep going with the memory of Ash's injuries embroidered in her brain. "He's still in there!" She yelled to herself, since Luca would have no idea who she was talking about, and before she could think it through, she ran for it. She ran as fast as she could, basically leaping through the air on her strong legs. She felt the scabs of her burns tear back open on her thigh and the darkness growing more pronounced above her head, but she kept going. The filthy structure was growing closer ahead, just as the one above her did. She was going to make it - she was so close. She wasn't even sure what she thought she would be able to accomplish - yell from outside for Ash to run? - but she had to try.

Without warning, the ground shook again and Haley stumbled on her way. She managed to somehow keep running, the wind like fire against the wound on her face, but already she could see the shadow growing larger more quickly, while the shape in the distance looked like it was standing still now. 'No, no, no, no,' Haley screamed internally. She wasn't going to make it - it was too far - the building was falling too fast. "Come on! Ash!" She screamed the same words she had told the chimp earlier, as if pleading for the universe to just help her this once, but she knew there was no chance for help, so she just kept racing for the structure. She was sure she could make it - she lied to herself with skill - but finally, the danger was too close and her legs stopped without her guide. Gasping for breath, she gazed up at the wall only a few feet above, paling at the terrible fate ahead. She didn't move anymore - there was nothing she could do.

Without warning, a large weight crashed into her side. Haley could almost fell her ribs snap under pure power as she was locked in a single, hulking arm. She barely had time to blink before she was yanked away and tackled to the ground by the perpetrator, nor did she have time to glimpse who it was before the building finally collided with the street and the earth shook one last time.

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 **Yay! Another Chapter! Thank you again, my beautiful Beta! ^^ She truly saves me with all her help.**

 **Remember to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you'd be interested: Geeky Fanatic. My content might help you unwind a bit from the tension in my stories. Just a bunch of comedy and art.**


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